The Midland High boys cross-country team was a few yards from the finish line they had all crossed in different intervals a few minutes earlier. Hands on their knees or above their head, the runners nervously awaited the team results for the District 3-6A Cross Country championship.

It took a few minutes, but eventually someone showed them a sheet with “1. Midland High.”

Then, they exploded. Cries of “Yes!” and “Oh my God” reverberated to anyone shouting within distance, and the team eventually huddled and jumped around in joy.

“It feels great,” junior Bryce Hoppel said. “I was thinking about it all week. It was on my mind the whole time and I just wanted to get it for the school, my teammates and my family. It’s just a great thing.”

The Bulldogs took the cross-country title Tuesday at UTPB Park with 47 points, which was points better than second place San Angelo Central. And MHS did it without one of their top runners for the meet. Midland High placed three runners in the top 11 with Hoppel and Ruben Guerra finishing second and third overall, respectively.

It was the team’s fifth runner, Chad Schmidt whose effort at the end of the race sealed it for the Bulldogs. Schmidt labored to the finish line, and was actually passed by two runners in the long final stretch, but he did just enough to allow Midland High to snag the district title.

Cade Michael finished sixth for MHS while Jose Chavez finished 11th to round out the Bulldogs’ team total.

The jubilation following the win was evident, and it’s in large part due to the hours the runners put in as a group since the summer to reach the moment.

“It satisfies us,” Guerra said. “It’s where we should be, even without our fourth top guy. It’s what we’ve been training for a couple of years now.”

With the win, the Bulldogs move on to Region I-6A meet next week with an opportunity to run for state. But perhaps it’s next season that could be the most exciting for the team. After all, everybody is coming back for a repeat.

“This is for sure going to get us where want to be, and then allow us to excel from there,” Guerra said.

Ortiz, Carrasco advance for MHS girls

The Midland High girls team finished fourth in the team standings Friday -- one spot away from advancing to the regional round.

But Lady Bulldogs seniors Brianna Ortiz (ninth) and Briana Carrasco (10th) finished in the top 10 to earn an individual spot in the regional meet. MHS’ Sara Torres just missed advancing to regionals, finishing 11th.

It’s a slightly disappointing end for a senior-laden group. But with five of the seven runners running a personal best and the knowledge they helped rebuild the program during their tenure, allows the team to leave with its head held high.

“It’s tough,” Ochoa said. “They were the group I started when I took over the program and this program was nothing. They’ve done a really good job to bring it back and be competitive in the district, and they set a standard…. They’ve built the program to where we’re a contender now.”

Lee caps season with solid effort

The Rebels will walk away from the District 3-6A meet without any runners advancing to regionals, but Lee head coach Alfred Acosta said he believes it’s just the first step toward something special.

“We’re very young, a program in transition,” Acosta said. “It’s just going to be a matter of getting these kids to believe and understand it is a process that they all can see today, many of them all had personal records.”

The Lee boys were led by senior Tyler Lopez, who finished 17th and ran a personal best. For the girls, sophomore Mikaylee Gwin paced the team in 16th place, while also running a personal best. Overall, the Rebels finished in sixth in both the girls and boys varsity events.

“It went well,” Acosta said. “I think our team ran as well as they could. They’re a little bit upset as competitors that they didn’t make it to where they eventually wanted to. But at the end of the day, they ran extremely hard.”